CARDINAL KUDOS — Fairmont Area’s Maia Goerndt (front left) receives congratulations from her Cardinal teammates after netting a goal against Worthington during Big South Conference hockey action Tuesday night at Martin County Arena in Fairmont. Cardinal teammates Jozie Hoefker (7), Karissa Newville (second from right) and Bella Larson (far right) follow in the post-goal celebratory line. (Photo by Greg Abel)
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FAIRMONT — Wherever the hockey puck settled on the Martin County Arena ice Tuesday night, Fairmont Area’s Karissa Newville proved to be in close proximity.
Newville distributed a game-best four assists, while Abi Sundeen and Maia Goerndt each collected two goals to power the Cardinals to a 6-4 Big South Conference triumph over the Worthington Trojans.
“Our main focus in practice this week was working on quick passes out of the corners to set up one-timers,” said Fairmont Area head coach Eric Householder, whose lineup netted its first victory of the icy campaign. “We had our attackers in the right spots and our passers delivered the puck to them to net six goals tonight.”
Sundeen and Goerndt combined to stake the Cardinals to a 2-0 opening-period lead by twisting the twine during a 53-second short-handed time span.
“Down a player and scored back-to-back goals. Who would’ve thought?” pondered Householder.
Sundeen utilized a backhanded flip to clear Trojan goalie Macie Mahlberg’s shoulder for an unassisted goal at the 9:55 juncture of the initial frame.
Still down a skater, Newville swiped the puck and drilled a shot on net only to have Mahlberg block it, but Goerndt stuffed home the up-and-over putback for a two-goal lead with 9:02 left in the period.
The Trojans countered with only 1:06 remaining in the first frame as Marin Pederson rushed the left wing on a breakaway chance and trickled the puck through the 5-hole to pare the Cardinals’ lead to 2-1.
Goerndt and Bella Larson produced back-to-back goals to open the second period for Fairmont Area only to watch as Worthington answered with two during the last 9:14.
Newville filtered a pass through traffic to Goerndt in the crease and Goerndt stuffed home a shot on the doorstep for a 3-1 lead with 12:28 to go in the middle segment.
Newville then fired a shot off of Mahlberg’s blocker pad that Larson alertly corraled and slammed the rebound home inside the right post for a three-goal margin with 9:43 left in the second.
Breeta Johnson and Pederson answered to inch the Trojans back to within one goal by netting consecutive breakaway goals.
Johnson wristed a goal by the Cardinals’ Ilana Moeller after beating Fairmont Area’s defenders before Pederson tallied her second lamp-lighter off a low fake and ensuing wrister.
Sundeen restored a two-goal margin by jamming home a doorstep goal off a centering pass from Alex Martin with 6:04 remaining in regulation.
Madelyn Cummings, however, reduced Worthington’s deficit to 5-4 by tapping a left-to-right 45-degree angled shot inside the right post off a Madeline Petersen pass with 4:46 to go.
Worthington called timeout with 1:10 remaining and later pulled its goalie only to have Larson’s breakaway rush trigger Jozie Hoefker’s left-wing empty-netter off another Newville assist with 37 seconds to go.
Moeller made 18 saves to earn the win for the Cardinals, while Mahlberg chalked up a game-high 46 stops to absorb the loss for the Trojans.
Fairmont Area (1-8) travels to Red Baron Arena in Marshall on Thursday night for another conference game, while Worthington (0-9) hosts Prairie Centre at 5:30 p.m. Friday night.
Worthington 1-2-1–4
Fairmont 2-2-2–6
Scoring Plays
1st Period
FMT–Abi Sundeen (unassisted), SH., 9:55.
FMT–Maia Goerndt (Karissa Newville), SH., 9:02.
WOR–Marin Pederson (unassisted), 1:06.
2nd Period
FMT–Maia Goerndt (Karissa Newville), 12:28.
FMT–Bella Larson (Karissa Newville), 9:43.
WOR–Breeta Johnson (unassisted), 9:14.
WOR–Marin Pederson (unassisted), 1:34.
3rd Period
FMT–Abi Sundeen (Alex Martin), 6:04.
WOR–Madelyn Cummings (Madeline Petersen), 4:46.
FMT–Jozie Hoefker (Karissa Newville), 0:37.
Shots on goal: Fairmont Area 21-20-11–52; Worthington 5-11-6–22.
Saves: Macie Mahlberg (WOR) 46; Ilana Moeller (FMT) 18.
Penalties: Worthington 3 for 6 minutes; Fairmont Area 1 for 2 minutes.
Power-play Chances: Fairmont Area 0-for-3; Worthington 0-for-1.
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Boys Hockey
Fairmont Area 6, Worthington 5 (OT) — Gavin Kester scored the game-winning goal in overtime to lift the Cardinals to their first victory of the season on Tuesday night in Worthington.
Kester’s goal snapped a 5-all tied in the extra period during the Big South Conference clash.
The Cardinals also made a change in net as Brandon Hector made his varsity starting debut and recorded 30 saves to earn the win.
Fairmont Area trailed after the first two periods 4-3 and needed its two goals in the third to match with Worthington.
It was Tyson Pankow and Eric Determan leading the way for the Cardinals. Both Pankow and Determan ended up with the exact same statlines on the night with two goals each.
Jace Teveldal, Lucas Sommers, Connor Gronewald and Barret Scholl each had one assist for the Cardinals. Jace Prindle chipped in one goal and one assist.
Dominic Pavelko and Caden Van Briesen each notched a goal and an assist for the Trojans. Spenser Nickel, Maxwell Ostrem and Ian Bumgardner each nabbed solo goals for the Trojans.
Alvaro Szewierenko Bottcher recorded 15 saves on 21 shots.
Worthington (0-4) takes on Breckenridge/Wahpeton on the road at 7 p.m. Friday.
Fairmont Area (1-6) plays host to Marshall at 7 p.m. Thursday night at Martin County Arena.